The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1887-03-10
THE LEGISLATURE.

The throng of legislators. lobby.
lsts and interested and idle specta'
tors have deserted the state Capitol.
The play is done, the lights are
turned out aHd the actors have dis.
persed to their several homes and
constituencies to reflect and be re-
iected upon. 70 say that the session
met the expectations of the great
masr of the people of the state is as
far beyond the truth as is the antip.
odal assertion that it had been a
failure in granting relief in legisla.
ting for the best interests Of the COM
nonwealth. There are half dozen
measures of the hundreds introduced
which have become salutary laws.
High license is an accomplished fact
so far as statutory enactment can
make it so. 1t now remains with the
people tc make it Il brilliant success
or dismal failure. Every commu-
nifty must assume the responsibility
of carrying out the spirit as well as
the letter of the law. Farmers and
other patrons of the railroads have
secured benefceEt legislation. and
right here it may not be out Of char.
acter to say they are largely indebt-
ed to General Barrett of Herman,
president of the state alliance, for
his interchangeable and well directed
labors in their behalf. While not a
member of the legislature he has
been on the ground during the en-
tire session, ami has directed the
forces, met the arguments of the op.
position, confronted the railroad
magnates,. and carried through
the campaign to successful issue.
He has not stood alone, but he has
been the recognized leader Of the an
ti-monopoly lobby. An excellent
election law has been passed. but it
Is applicable principally to the larger
cities. 1t will in time become Of
general application. Its practical
advantages will be developed by use
until it will be demanded In the ru-
raj districts, while the usury bill
failed OF passage, yet there has been
some excellent legislation in that d.
rection. The tax laws have been
amended. and the most glaring de-
fects remedied, SO that such outrages
as have been PEI petrated by indivld-
uals and sustained by the courts, are
no longer passible.
The futiIity of attempting to do
all that is pressingly necessary for
this state in brief session of sixty
days every two years has been fully
demonstrated and illustrated. Hun.
dreds of bills, many of them OF great
value, have died by limitation. Pro.
vision has been made for submitting
to the people the question Of length.
crled biennial sessions or limited an
nuals.. Either would give relief. but
the latter seems best calculated to &C.
Complisll the desired purpose.
Less wind and more work earlier
in tie session would advance bust
ness so that the last hours would not
betdevoted TO rushing through bills SO
rapidly that proper consideration Of
their merit is practically impossible.
Legislative trickery is too often re-
sorted to for killing valuable meas.
ures, while log rolling and combina-
tions put through these every way
perniciouS and Objectionable. How
these twin evils arc to be met and
overcome is not apparent, but so long
rs they exist the state is in danger
from designing and INSCRIPTIONS
mon.
1t is not necessary to revent more
specifically to the work of the late
legislature at this time-the pub.
lished laws will soon furnish full in.
formation on this subject. They
will be laid before the HERALD read
ers in due time.